Slide-moving device for voting-machines.



PATBNTED MAY 7, 1907.

W. G. GILMORE.

SLIDE MOVING DEVICE FOR VOTING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION PIL'ED FBB.16, 1906.

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N0. 858,169. PATENTED MAY 7, 1907. W. G. GILMORE.

SLIDE MOVING DEVICE FOR VOTINGYMAGHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILMER O. GILMORE, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR TO UNIVER- SAL VOTING MACHINE COMPANY; OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS. A COR- PORATION or MAINE.

SLIDE-MOVING DEVICE FOR VOTING-MACHINES.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented m y 7,1907.

Application filed February 16, 1906. Serial No. 301,483.

State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slide-Moving Devices for Voting-Machines, of, which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as-will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use my said invention.-

, My invention relates primarily to voting machines of that class which employ a series of perforated slides simultaneously movable and also adapted for independent setting, for the purpose'of depositing balls, disks or equivalent counters selectively in I ballot boxes or receptacles underlying said-slides respectively. My improvements. are however not strictly confined to voting machines, but may without material modification and without departure from my invention, be applied to other apparatuses such as cash registers, sales registers, or the like, employing movable parts, such as slides, capable of independent adjustment but which it is at times desirable to move simultaneously.

The purposes of my invention are to provide simple and effective means for simultaneously moving inward or outward a se ries of movable parts such as slides, said slirle-moving device being adapted to permit separate adjustment of said slides relative to -a co-operating depositing device such as a perforated dropping plate; to provide in connection with said slide moving device simple and effective means for operating said balldepositing device: and to provide simple and effective means for operating stirrers in the ball hopper coincidently with the operation of the ball-dropping device, in order that at each movcmentof the ball-dropping device balls may be immediately supplied. to fill all the empty chambers of the bah-dropping device preparatory to the next dropping.

\Vith these ends in view my invention consists of the novel [but nros of construction an d cimibinations of parts shown in the annexed dmwings to which reference is hereby made and hereinafter particularly described and linnlly recited in the claims.

i elcrrmg to the drawings in which similar reference letters and characters designate like parts in the several views: Figure 1.is a

top plan of a voting machine embodying my invention, only so much of the voting machine being shown as is necessary to illustrate the connection of my improvements therewith: Fig. 2is-a vertical section on the line 2. 2. of Fig. 1-, and Fig. 3 is vertical section on a reduced scale, taken on the line 3. 3, of Fig. 1. I

The mechanism is contained in a cabinet A which may be of any convenient form and of any suitable construction.

A series of slides B slide between supported on the plate A v Each of the slides B has a perforation b which by proper setting of the slide may be caused to occupy a position transversely in range with a perforation a in the plate A and guides B shown) in thetop of the underlying ballot box or receptacleE.

Within the cabinet A is a hopper A adapted to contain a supply of balls to be used in voting. The bottom of the hopper consists of a plate A having a number of series of,per- 'forations a through which balls pass as here-' inafter explained. I

A dropping-plate D has a number of series of perforations d. The plate D'is situated above 'the slides B and under the bottom A of the hopper A The plate D is slidable alternately to the right and left by means hereinafter. described-to cause the-perforain register with a suitable perforation (not tions d to alternately register with theperforations a in the bottom A and the perforations 1). in the slides B. so as to cause balls to pass from the hopper A through the erforations b. in the slides B. into the ballot oxes E. where they remain until counted. Guide blocks F. are secured on suitable stationary supports F on the inside of the cabinet. Parallel rods F and F are slidable in the guides F Shafts G and G are mounted to turn in bearings gon the walls of the cabinet. The judges lever G? is secured on the shaft G. The voters leve G is secured on the shaft (l'. Arms G are secured on the shaft G and similar arms G" are secured on the shaft G. A bar G secured at the ends of the rods F extends across and is slidable above the slides B, and engages with upwardly projecting pins 6 on the slides to simultaneously move all of the slides outward. Connecting rods G connect the ends of the bar G with the arms G so that when the lever G. is pulled forward the bar G will travel forward and when the lever is pushed rearward the bar will travel rearward. A bar G". secured at the ends of the rods F extends across and is slidable above the slides B and in its rearward travel, after the slides have been pushed. forward by the bar G as ,already described, engages with the pins 5 to -.;i.rnultaneously move all of the slides rearward. Rods G connect the ends of the bar U. .with the arms G so that when the lever G is pulled forward the bar G. will travel rearward and when the lever is pushed rearward the bar will travel forward.

An upwardly extending and laterally pro.- j ecting pin f. secured on the left hand rod F. engages with the inclined edged. of the dropping plate D. to slide the plate to the right when the rod F. is slid rearward, and a similar pin f secured on the right hand rod F. in like manner engages with the inclined edge (1 to move the plate D tothe left.

shown in Fig. 1 the holes (1 are in registry with the holes a. in the bottom of the hopper, but are not in registry with the holes in-the slides. When the plate D is in this position balls occupying the holes d. will lie on top of the slides B. and the slides may he slid inward and outward at pleasure without the balls falling through the erforations in the slides. The slides B. being slidable longitudinally as already explained may be slid inward or outward at pleasure within the limits between the bars G and G". to cause the perforation l) of each slide to occu y a position transversely in range with a perforation a in the plate A and in register with a perforation in the top of the underlying receptacle E, and upon transverse movement of the late D the balls in the corresponding holes will fall through the perforations b respectively into the receptacles E, according to the setting of the slides; and the bodies of the slides bemg betweenthe holes (1 and the perforations of the rece tacles E will prevent the dropping of any 0 the balls contained in the holesd of the plate Dexcept the balls which have entered the perforations 7) before the transverse movement of the plate D.

When the slides are adjusted at the pleasure of the voter as described, the holes I). in the slides will be transversely in line with but not in registry with the holes d. of the dropping plate D. If the judges lever G. be then pulled forward it will cause the rods F to slide rearward and cause the pm to engage with the edge (1. of the plate D. andn'iovc the plate to the right so as to bring the holes d. of the )late into registry with the holes I). of the slides and the balls contained When the plate is at rest in the position in the registering holes d. will fall through the holes in the slides into the underlying ballot boxes E. Reverse movement of the lever G. will produce reverse movement of the plate D. and cause the holes (I. to again fill with balls in readiness for the setting of the slides by" the next voter, and so on as long as the voting continues.

The stirrers ll. are metalstrips having longitudinal slots which accommodate screws 7:. connecting the stirrers with the plate A. so that the stirrers may slide freely on the plate.

The'stirrers have screw threaded stems h.

and nuts 7L2, fitting on said stems. A cross bar H. connects the stirrers so that they all move together.

A plate H is secured on the side of and extends above the bar G". and has notches h. in which the stems fit loosely so that the bar may slide freely under the stems. When the judges lever G is pulled forward it causes the bar G". to travel rearward. carrying the plate IT. with it and causes the plate H to strike the nuts 71?. and slide all of the stirrers rearward. Reverse movement of the lever causes the plate H to strike against the bar H thereby sliding all of the stirrers forward.

The travel of the stirrers may be'shortened by turning the nuts 7L2. on the stems hi. to shorten the distance between the plate H. and the nuts 7L2.

I am aware that stirrers have been used in the ball-hoppers of voting machines I therefore do not broadly claim such use of stirrers but restrict my claim to the means whereby the stirrers are operatively connected with the dropping late.

In practical use the voter, if he wishes to vote a straight ticket pulls the lever l forward, thereby moving all of the slides simultaneously into position to vote the straight ticket of his choice; or if he wishes to vote a mixed-ticket, he sets the slides B. separately in position to deposit ballots for the candidates of his choice. After the voter has set all of the slides B. as he desires, he signals an authorized officer of the election, who in the voters presence, pulls the lever to cause the plate D. to drop the balls through the holes in the slides respectively as set by the voter, into the underlying ballot boxes. The election ol'licer then immediately pushes the lever G backward to cause return move ment of the plate D. to its initial position and also to cause the stirrers to operate and cause a ball to enter every empty chamber of the plate D. The machine is then in rcadi ness for use by the next voter, who in turn sets the slides as described; and so on as long as the voting continues.

llaving fully described m inv0ni1ion what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Let: ters Patent is.

1. A slide moving device comprising sta- 13o tionary guide blocks, parallel rods slidable in "guides on said blocks, cross-bars connecting 'said rods in pairs, an upper shaft turning in stationary'beari igs, a lower shaft turning in l arms with 'the other cross bar and slides 2O nanied arms'with the other cross bar, slides .slidable under said cross bars and upwardly rods slidable in said guides, a cross bar con 'andmovable in the opposite (.lirection by the ing in stationary bearings, arms secured on stationary bearings, arins secured on said upper shaft, rods connecting said arms with one of said cross bars, arms secured on said" lower shaft, rods connecting said last named inovable in one direction byone cross bar other crossbar. 2.-A slide-moving device comprising sta-' tionary guides, parallel rods sliding in said guides, 'cross bars connecting 'said rods in pairs, an upper shaft and a lower shaft turnsaid upper shaft, rods connecting said arms Wltll one of said cross bars, arms secured on said' lower shaft, rods connecting said last projectingnns \on said slides between said cross bars, I

-.3. The combination of stationary guides,

necting said rods, a notched plate secured on 'said. dropping plat-e; all co-operating to cause longitudinal movement of said stirrers co-incidently with the transverse movement of said dropping plate: i

4. In a slide moving device the combination of stationaryguides parallel rods slid able in the uides, across bar connecting the rods, Sl1(l6S aving' pins on which the crossbar acts, an oscillative shaft, arms secured on the shaft, and rods connectingthe arms with the cross bar.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name at Bloomington, Illinois this Mthday of November 1904.

WILMER C. GILMORE; WVitnesses:

E. F. McOoLmsTER, F. M. FoLLioK. 

